Eco-Irrigation

Over 70% of the world’s fresh water supply is used for irrigation. Worldwide water demand continues to escalate, and what was once considered an unlimited resource will ultimately prove otherwise.

As a result of actual and anticipated water shortages, many water utilities are turning to water reuse for irrigation – known as “grey water”, or to desalination, both of which are costly to provide. Alternatives are actively sought.

Eco-Irrigation is an environmentally-friendly approach to irrigation. The goal of Eco-Irrigation is water conservation through reduced demand, reduction of run-off and the reduction of pesticide and fertilizer chemical use.

The ideal of the Eco-Irrigation model is an all “natural” system that does not introduce toxic substances into the environment and has a minimal carbon footprint. Such a system should be simple enough to become ubiquitous – with ready acceptance across a multitude of irrigation uses. A successful Eco-Irrigation system should also be “foolproof”, eliminating the possibility of operational mistakes that could harm the environment.

In order to readily gain acceptance, an Eco-Irrigation system must be both practical and competitive with current systems. It needs to have minimal impact on and be consistent with current best practices, until such time as it becomes the new paradigm.

Cost will be a critical hurdle to widespread acceptance, so Eco-Irrigation must demonstrate reduction of waste while requiring minimal initial and ongoing expenses.

Innovations within the irrigation market, such as rain sensors, soil moisture sensors and controllers, currently provide a measure of water conservation. However, such devices do little to address the environmentally harmful aspects of current irrigation practices. Additionally, biologicals, which have been acknowledged as beneficial for plants due to their ability to fix nitrogen, have been impractical due to limited shelf life and the lack of a viable method of delivery.

Today, these limitations no longer exist; the goal of Eco-Irrigation is easily within reach. The development of organics such as Quantum-1™ or Hydretain™ with high efficiency liquid fertilizers such as Green World Path and GOLD'n GRO® and all-natural pest control with BugSlug along with extremely accurate injection equipment has come together and has produced the following phenomenal results:

• 40-60% decrease in water required for equivalent production
• 50% decrease in fertilizer required to produce viable plants
• over 50% decrease in pesticide use in many cases
• significant reduction, if not elimination of run off
• reduction in greenhouse gases

Thus, widespread use of Eco-Irrigation can provide a positive and significant impact on water demand, reduce chemical use and ultimately provide significant ongoing cost savings.

Eco-Irrigation Installation
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Eco-Irrigation System Diagram Installations

Water Conservation Initiatives

Recent government and conservation group initiatives propose limits on the use of irrigation systems and the range of plants that may be used on residential and commercial properties. At this time most of these initiatives are voluntary, however as the scarcity of fresh water becomes more prevalent it is likely that many of these initiatives will be mandated by law.

To learn more about a few of these initiatives, click on the links below:

• Environmental Protection Agency: Water Sense
• U.S. Green Building Council
  
• Florida Green Building Coalition
  
• Seattle Area Built Green Website
  
• NAHB National Green Building Program

The above are just a few influential programs. There are many others including most local water management districts.

To learn more, contact Chemilizer at 1.800.234.7211